I'm of the opinion that most people (at least in the Western world) are actually atheists, but for whatever reason, they're very hesitant to acknowledge their own atheism.
Me. They have consistently been about 3% of the population for several decades.
What has grown is the agnostic crowd. Those who aren't quite willing to accept the possibility that death is the end but are also frustrated with how distinctly non-divine organized religion has turned out to be. Maybe not as corrupt as a corporation but certianly more so than most governments - or at least most democracies. Simplest example is the child rape scandals in the Catholic church.
Contrast those with the Salem witch trials. Obviously none of those witches were guilty but judgement was aggressive and swift all the same. Where is that energy for going after priests who rape kids? Not only does it not exist, the church actually covers it up and defends the priests in court. Like how police unions actually defend cops who break the law. It's impossible to believe they mean what they say they stand for after that. And in the case of religion what they say is the entirety of religion, since there has never been nor ever will be any proof of any god beyond what people want to feel.
Though there is also that other agnostic crowd that doesn't want to give up drinking and sinning but does like the idea of stopping harlots from having access to birth control, as a just punishment for not banging them in high school or because their moms were self absorbed or whatever.
It's just not normal to literally believe myths. They're part of culture, art and tradition but that is the extent of the attention they command of the rational thinker. Atheism is the normal mindset. Piousness is more common to people of limited cognition.
So I don't think it's a silent majority, it's more of an unspoken understanding. It isn't important enough to vocalize in public.
Exactly! 98% of scientists are atheists, but they choose not to flag their atheism, since it's just the logical conclusion that comes from understanding science and all of the available facts.
I've met a lot of Atheists who won't identify as atheist even to their selves due to the stigma. I'll ask if they believe in god and they will say no. Any god? No. So, you're an atheist? No. Agnostic? No. Do you believe in anything? No. What are you? I don't want to think about it or label it. But, I'm not an atheist. Ha ha ha.
I've also met people who labelled their selves as their spouse's or family's religion while not believing in any of it.
If they don't identify as atheist or agnostic and don't believe in god, you have the worst kind of people on earth. The kind that don't know their own asshole from a hole in the ground. Politically speaking, it's the DBAGS who say they aren't left or right, they don't like Biden or Trump. However, it takes 2 minutes of listening to them to decipher if they are a retard or not. They claim to be centrist or what have you. They put themselves on a pedestal. It's like, dumbass, you are a lefty libtarded mental case yet you thought you were doing your civic duty by thinking you weren't by pencinling in Ron Paul who wasn't running in the first place.
There are a lot of atheists who worry about the stigma, but there's also a large group of atheists (I include myself in this) who just don't see it as important as other aspects of their overall character. My political beliefs mean a lot more to me than my aversion to superstition. Unfortunately, you have people like Sam Harris projecting this obnoxious image of atheists; he's the type of atheist who tries to make being an atheist an identity.
I think most people are but its mostly older people of my generation, because growing up baby boomers acted like you were the devil. But people of my generation (GEN-X) don't really care and Millennials and later don't give a shit.
Most Atheist don't give a shit, if you tell them you believe but don't go to church or anything... Most believers are okay with the fact that you don't go to church. But depending on the situation it best to give the impression you believe rather than don't believe if you don't want to get into it with them over God.
Atheism as a category is a non description. It doesn't really mean anything other than you don't ofiliate with any of the major religious groups. Therefore why would there be any advocation of it. I'd consider myself atheist but I rarely talk about it because why would I I have no interest in the classification or descussion.
What you said is more to the point; I'm the same type of atheist, not really seeing atheism as anything central to my character. This is probably the biggest reason why people choose not to flag their atheism, as it's just not that big of a deal.
It actually is descript, it specifically means a person who does not believe in any kind of god. So technically, you could be religious and atheist, if your religion had no gods in it.
I prefer science though, as do most atheists, since refusing to believe in a god usually stems from demanding evidence to claims.
@TheSpaceGnome I think he was saying that atheists aren't tied to any set of beliefs, and yes, atheistic religions have been around for a long time; even some of the ancient Greek/Roman cults didn't literally believe in the existence of gods/goddesses.
Yes it's vary hard to really say anything about the subject without people taking it in their own way. If I said I believe in god most people might think "oh he believes God is real in the way I think of him as a big angry dude in the sky with a lightning bolt." So to save my head from a migraine I say I'm atheist and most people stop asking questions after that. Yes I read scriptures and Buddhist concepts and occultist beliefs but I don't get attached to any of it and people don't understand if they don't reach the conclusion on their own.
Atheists are not a majority but people who don't believe in religion may be.. barely. I think the majority of people believe in supernatural beings and afterlife. A person can be spiritual without being religious.
I don't believe in anthrpomorphic gods who care more about humans than anything else, and I doubt if there is any afterlife, but I call myself an agnostic because it seems to me that atheists are dogmatic in their certainty that no such things exists. There is no way of proving one or the other, so I don't worry about it.
I certainly wouldn't worship a god who would sentence me to torture because I hadn't groveled properly. Such a god would be a sadistic psychopath; a demon. I mean, what sane parent would ever sentence their child to eternal torture no matter what the kid had done. That's not love.
So I'll continue to explore my personal spiritual philosophy.
Not yet, but in another 25 years or so, that will be the case. In the UK, only 1 in 4 people believe in God, and amazingly, only 56% of Christians believe in God. A lot of younger people are "spiritual" or believe in some kind of "higher power", but very few are religious or believe in God.
The more science explains, the less religion is "needed." Thunder isn't considered "magical" anymore, so you rarely see people talking about how devoted they are to Thor in the modern world. 😁
Outside your borders people are totally fine with others knowing they are atheists because they aren't going to be attacked for it by religious extremists.
No one has ever attacked me for being atheist, most people here who are religious are really just people who celibrate modern holidays and are too afraid of heaven not being real.
That sort of extremism is mostly in third world countries and strict dicatorships, only time it tends to happen in the US is when religious people from those third world countries come over here.
Religion in most of the US is so watered down that its more corporate and capitalist than religious. And I have friends in lots of states, none of them have seen or been attacked by extremists short of terrorist attacks from immigrants, or the rare deep south bible thumper and his small group from this one church.
Most "religious" people are non practicing, they merely think a friendly god exists, like presents during Christmas, and otherwise are non practicing.
They don't pray, they don't follow the bible or whatever other book's teachings, they don't buy into sins or commandments etc. And they don't threaten or attack atheists for being atheist.
Maybe a quarter of religious people even go to churches or other religious buildings/gatherings, and only a rare few are extremists, most of which just make shallow threats or insults online and don't actually do anything.
Also most of the people who are in charge of who gets elected, are european or chinese bankers and rich ny wallstreet geezers.
Unless you are a member of the electoral college, your vote isn't even counted, and even electoral college votes are bought and paid for by banks and corporations.
We don't have an actual democratic voting system here, and only rich old farts that most of us hate end up running anyway. So who gets elected is NOT a reflection of public opinion, AT ALL.
Science, thankfully, has been slowly eroding religious culture in the US. There are still lots of religious people, but there are 90% less religious practitioners.
@TheSpaceGnome I think the point you are failing to grasp here is how the States compares to other Western countries or certainly how it compares to the UK which is the perspective from which I am viewing the States.
If people were really religious and thought their kids would go to heaven, why would they cry if their kids get into an accident and die? Shouldn't they be overcome with joy that their kids escaped Earth without being damned?
Bro, this is exactly the kind of thing I bring up whenever I'm lured into debating someone who claims to be "religious." I mean, if they're going to Heaven, they shouldn't even worry about death at all.
Silent, meaning we are ashamed? No. I just don't feel a need to announce it because I have no intention on trying changing someone else's mind. I also don't talk about it because I don't owe anyone any sort of explanation. I don't need approval from other people.
In many countries of the west, yeah. I don't think it's true in the US though.
I think it seems that way since most religious people are nonpracticing. They do believe in "god" in one way or another, but they don't really follow any religious customs and they don't have very strong opinions outside of "yeah, I think there is a god and he is the creator".
It's certainly true in Sweden. Very few people who lives their full lives in Sweden is believers. Religion has been dying for decades, the only fresh people they get is immigrants. And their children has a high probability to drop their parents religion.
In the Western world, "atheist activism" is pretty unnecessary, so I see what you're saying. I'm an atheist, but what I don't believe in isn't important to me; my character is more shaped by what I actually do believe in. I'm not an "atheist missionary."
Naw. Even people who are brought up on no religion are agnostic once they get to the point of being over the hill. What you are assuming is another dumbass "Western" assumption. That the majority support Democrats. So therefore, Western folk must love their science, their Biden, their heads up each other's assholes eating pin worms as a delicacy. Gross son of a bitch you are.
There's something else you are implying. The most egregious of all. That 81 quadrillion people voted for Biden, must there be the silent majority said no one. So they must lick scientist assholes and must be atheist as a result. Because totally atheist/agnostic right wingers like me do not exist.
If people ask me if I am religious I say Nah. I'm an atheist and they're like why? My reply is like because to me it just doesn't comfort me at all, I think more realistically, also I was forced into religion since I was born. If some douchebag tells me it’s another religion I will slap them because of how much it annoys me when someone tells me that.
The people who think atheism is a belief system or a "religion" really drive me crazy, but Sam Harris and people like him don't really help either. I'm an atheist myself, but it's a small part of who I am; my political beliefs are of greater importance to me.
No, I think the opposite is true. Most people in the Western world, even in the most secular countries, are actually believers, more or less, but do not recognize it, simply because according to the current dominant narrative in Western societies and current fashion, being religious is not considered "modern." , "progressive", "tolerant", "democratic", "scientific", etc. It is obvious that most people in any society as a whole are influenced by the masses, most people are sheep, they do what is now considered right by society and the government, they go after the flock. And people who deviate from the herd are stigmatized and repressed. Here - now in Western societies it is fashionable to be atheist, to be gay, to be gender neutral, to support BLM and socialism. And most people loudly advocate this, simply to be considered by society to be "cool", "modern", "tolerant" and "progressive", but otherwise these may not even be their true views.
I rarely see devout Christians (here in the US), but almost everyone will volunteer a statement like, "I don't go to church or anything like that, but I do believe in God."
@XXblack88 I didn't say you did, but you were referring to Christians in your comment, and the "Holy Bible" of Christianity explicitly states that going to church is a part of the religion.
Nope. Most people just are religiously devout. There is a difference between not believing in a god and not consistently practicing religious rituals on a weekly basis. For example atheist in the USA only account for 3.1% of the population.
Some people that don't like Christians will sabotage the worker's paperwork which can lead to them getting fired since their paperwork will end up missing or filled out incorrectly. "Mistakes" can lead to strikes, which can lead to demotions or getting fired.
Atheism is simply the result of trusting the science you and I use in our everyday lives. Theistic religion comes from superstition, and every "holy book" in existence was written by people; people lie, science doesn't.
@Hispanic-Cool-Guy That's the thing, I don't just "believe whatever I want." I'd love to believe that when I die, I'm going to party with my deceased mother in an afterlife paradise; instead, I look at the facts -- and the truth can be a bitter pill to swallow.
Liberalism and Christianity contradict each other a lot, but conservatism contradicts Christianity just as much as liberalism does. I'm saying this as someone who is against both of those capitalist ideologies.
My entire family and I are atheist/agnostic. Just because we don’t preach doesn’t exactly mean that we are silent about it.
0
0 Reply
Anonymous
(45 Plus)
+1 y
I always figured much of the country was Agnostic. But after reading your question I felt like researching it and according to statistics actually only about 5% of the population is Atheist. Still that was much smaller than I'd figured.
I have to disagree; telling other people they won't be joining their deceased relatives in a joyous afterlife makes you seem like a bit of a "buzzkill."
No, thats a stereotype, most people end up mostly different than their parents. it's way more common to be their polar opposite, than it is to be just like them.
@TheSpaceGnome that's some hollywood nonsense. most kids tend to adopt their parent's values
otherwise there would be no consistent culture at all. how has society remained stable if parents aren't passing values to their kids. how do we have religions, holidays, and traditions.
@TheSpaceGnome well someone has to be agreeing to continue forcing it.
and america still has religions, cultures, traditions, and values. the "melting pot" doesn't respect all cultures equally. it destroys them in favor of THE culture
so someone is promulgating the same ideas over and over again... that's called... parenting
@TheSpaceGnome honestly you're pretty ignorant for someone of your age, people generally share the values of their parents, that's how a community works... it's so fucking obvious something must be wrong with you
Yeah, the majority of atheists see atheism as nothing more than the obvious conclusion you come to if you understand science. 98% of scientists are atheists, but they don't have to talk about it -- because people already know they generally don't believe in unfounded theories like "creationism." That would be like me walking into Burger King and telling everyone, "I'm here because I enjoy eating the food I get here."
I am an atheist, but it's not really an important part of my character; it's a bit of a reflection of my affinity for science/logic, but beyond that, it isn't much else. I'm more concerned with the things I do believe in, not the religious/theistic ideologies I don't believe in. This is why I'm not really a fan of people who try to make atheism their identity.
Remember, atheism isn't a belief system/religion, so most atheists don't feel the need to even vocalize the fact that they don't have theistic beliefs.
Girl's Behavior 
Guy's Behavior 
Flirting 
Dating 
Relationships 
Fashion & Beauty 
Health & Fitness 
Marriage & Weddings 
Shopping & Gifts 
Technology & Internet 
Break Up & Divorce 
Education & Career 
Entertainment & Arts 
Family & Friends 
Food & Beverage 
Hobbies & Leisure 
Other 
Religion & Spirituality 
Society & Politics 
Sports 
Travel 
Trending & News 
+1 y
Opinion Owner+1 y
+1 y
Most Helpful Opinions